Guest comment on snow removal from the Winneshiek County Road Department

(The following is a guest comment from the Winneshiek County Road Department about snow and ice control):

"The Winneshiek County Road Department is prepping to begin another winter.  The Department maintains approximately 260 miles of paved road and 804 miles of gravel roads which can be a daunting task during a snowstorm.  Counties are responsible for almost four (4) times the road miles of state, city and town agencies combined.  The county crews take their road clearing responsibilities seriously.  We realize many rural residents work in nearby towns and lost time on the job is a financial hardship to the family.  Likewise, we realize that livestock farmers must have access to care for their animals on a regular basis.  These folks pay our wages and we want to provide them responsive, efficient service.

Most snow clearing is done during the daylight hours.  However, crews may start before dawn following a snowstorm to get ahead of traffic and will respond to emergency situations as requested by law enforcement, EMS or fire personnel.  County crews do not work in rotating shifts the way some state and city crews do.  Due to the isolated nature of many of our roads and the size of the rural system, daytime operations is the safest and most effective process for us to use.

Considering the scope of the job, each storm is evaluated individually.  The paved system is the first priority and is plowed/treated after every storm that produces snow or wind is creating drifting.  The gravel road system is plowed when four inches has fallen or if the wind is creating drifting problem.

The truck plows first assignment is to open the paved roadways and apply salt and sand to the surface.  Salt continues to be the most economical material available to restore safe driving conditions and is particularly effective with air temperatures warmer than fifteen degrees. 

The first assignment of the motorgraders is to open the heavier traveled gravel roads.  Their second priority is to provide access from at least one direction to all residences, followed by establishing two-way traffic on those roads.  Finally, the connecting gravel roads are cleared to provide more direct travel between destinations.  Dirt roads continue to be the lowest priority and often are not cleared if there are no homes or livestock operations that require access.

Answers to some commonly asked questions about winter operations on county roads.

Why does it take so long to clear gravel roads?
Restoring access to gravel roads is a slow process since the maintainers are not built for speed and the 12 maintainers in Winneshiek County have from 63 to 70 miles each.  Sometimes after a severe storm, it's not possible to reach the remote homes until the second or third day.  The trucks do help the maintainers once their work is done on the hard surface roads but depending on the storm this may not happen for quite some time.  Home owners are encouraged to plan accordingly for predicted winter storms.

The plow knocked down my mailbox.  Will the county replace it?
Winneshiek County does not compensate for that loss unless it can be shown that the act was negligent or intentional.

I've seen plow trucks on the road that aren't spreading salt.  Why don't they since they are there anyway?
Salt doesn't melt ice.  Salt lowers the freezing temperature of water.  At critical temperatures, applying salt to roads packed with snow or ice may create a more dangerous condition by creating a "glazed" surface.  During windy conditions, snow will stick to a wet or treated surface.  If left untreated, the snow will blow off the dry surface.   It may simply be a case where more is not necessarily better. 

What do I do in an emergency when the roads are not all open?
If a true emergency exists, the Winneshiek County Sheriff's Office, Winneshiek County EMS and the local fire departments will request our trucks if they need us.  If you have an emergency, call 911.  The responding emergency service will take care of contacting us.  Do not contact us directly.  We will only respond to emergency requests by the above emergency services.  Winneshiek County will respond to emergencies 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Is there anything I can do to help with snow and ice operations?
Yes!  Here are a couple things that help.  Hay bales stored too close to the road cause drifting problems on the road.  If they are set back 300 feet, they act as a snow fence and help protect the road.  If you are out on the road in a storm and get stuck, make sure we are contacted or the Sheriff's office is contacted.  If the vehicle can be moved please have that done as soon as possible.  Winneshiek County is not liable for damages done to an abandoned vehicle during snow removal operations.

How do we contact your department?
The office phone number is 563-382-2951.  The office is open from 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday.  As long as roadways are passable, we will work regular hours and not work weekends.  Following a storm, we will work overtime during non-working hours and on weekends until access has been restored.  Please remember we do not work split shifts and will stop work if it is deemed unsafe to continue.   Winneshiek County has an adopted snow ordinance that is available at the County Engineer's office or online at www.winneshiekcounty.org."